The Bozeman weekly chronicle., 1887-03-23


calculation of the loss of cattle. We
place the aggregate loss of horned cattle
from the various reliable reports at 33a
per cent. At least, not less. Nelson Story
of the Clarke's Fork range estimates his
loss at 10 per cent; while his foreman
(who was discharged by the way) places
it at the modest sum of ten per cent
From other sources we can safely predict
that Mr.. Story's loss will be ut least one.
half, while those more fortunately situat-
ed Oh the same range will lose only one
tenth, hence 33a per cent is save es.
innate for that section.
THE roREMAN's STORY,
In the Gazette, Chas. Wickham, who
had charge of Nelson story's cattle on
Clarke's Fork all winter, saws the latter
accuses him of the loss of his entire band
of cattle, worth $3O0,OO0. lie says Mr.
Story became frightened from seeing a
few hundred dead catt e, and insists on
making o grossly exaggerated estimate of
his losses. Mr.. Story is quoting as say
ing that 1000 OF his cattle lie dead in one
basin. Mr.. Wickham is willing to bet
his house and lot against 5000 that the
number of carcasses from all the herds
that grazed on the Clarke's Fork range
does not exceed 500 head and the num-
ber actually counted was 3I6. He was
working hard all winter foi the welfare
Of the cattle, and claims that he knows
more about their condition than any
other man. He saws that any estimate
ofo"er % per cent. loss on Clarke's Fork
is an exaggeration.
In the region contiguous to
MILES CITY
the loss has also been very heavy, and
would have been much greater had not
owners and cow boys exerted themselves
in keeping the cattle moving from place
to place. The Stock Growers journal
says that "the earth has had such wet
ting as it has not had in years, and our
early spring will witness a fine crop of
grass for the hulgered cattle to feast upon
This timely appearance of spring will
save many cattle, and place the ranges
in such condition that the line riders can
be of service in helping out to feed the
weak cattle, the speculation as to losses
will receive great aid from the fact that
men can investigate the ranges thorough.
ly."
In the Musselshel country large cat
tle-owner JeppRyan considers the reports
from that section to have been most sen.
sational. In what he has seen in the
riding he has done he thinks that not
over l5 per cent Of the cattle on that
range will turn up missing. Granville
Stuart of the same district says that the
latest word from his range near the
mouth of the Musselshell was to the
effect that the snow was all off except in
few banks and that cattle were begin
ming to &C. "peart"apd sprightly. His fore
man and all the range riders who have
kept watch of the cattle throughout the
winter estimate that the loss will certain.
ly not exceed 10 per cent and may be
considerably less. Under the circumst-
ances he regards this as low rate of loss
and accounts for it only by the extra care
bestowed upon the herds. Last fall his
company expended $4,000 in removing
the cattle to better range. and through
out the winter twenty-four range riders
(extra help have been Employed in
watching the cattle and resciing them
when they were in bad circumstances,
individually or in herds. He calculates
that each of these men saved many times
his wages, He will keen the whole force
during the spring to haul cattle out of
mud holes and otherwise attend to the
safety ofthe herds during the wet season.
NEAR GLENDIvE
on the lower Yellowstone, the Times
says that when cattle men begin to get
around on the range ragge they will dis
cover that the loss is not as much as some
have represented. Lots of cattle were
upon the range and not in the brush be-
low the river bottem and ofsuch the Der
cent of loss is quite small. That cattle
of course have died in great numbers al d
these as well as cows with calves will
make the loss. to quite respectable figure.
We do not wish to niisrepresent the loss,
but 1t is impossible to tell what it will be.
Those of the stockmenwho have lived in
town all winter and have not been upon
the range, have judged from the snow in
the valley and by the very cold weather
Thus completely magnified the loss far
beyond our belief. Their fears have aid
ed in this process. Again, those who
have come in from the range where they
have remained all winter, give much
better accounts except in few instance
and most of these accounts have been
much more favorable than we had req
son to expect. However, those cattle
men who were fortunate enough to have
their.cattle well back from the river have
come out quite fortunate on most of their
stock. Those on the west side have suf-
fered much less than those on the east
most of the range has been bare as the
nature ofthe country permitted the snow
to be forced off by the wind, while on
the east the circumstances have not been
80 favorable.
In the